Former federal prosecutor wins Ohio special primary

A former assistant federal prosecutor easily won a Democratic special primary Friday to face U.S. Rep. Mike Turner in November.

Richard Chema had 73 percent, or 5,758 votes, compared with former Waynesville Mayor Charles Sanders who had 27 percent, or 2,105 votes, in Ohio’s 3rd District, according to unofficial results.

The special primary was required to replace Stephanie Studebaker, who dropped out of the race Aug. 15 when she and her husband were charged with domestic violence after police answered calls about a fight at their home.

Chema, 50, was an assistant U.S. attorney from 1994 to 2006 in the Southern District of Ohio and previously an attorney in the Navy’s JAG Corps, serving as prosecutor at Naval Intelligence Command in Washington.

Chema is expected to have a tough battle Nov. 7 against Turner, a second-term Republican congressman who has made a name for himself on military and urban issues and won 62 percent of the vote in 2004.

The district includes Dayton — where Turner used to be mayor — and runs through fast-growing suburbs, bedroom communities and farm country.

Dayton has historically been Democratic territory, with labor unions spawned by the auto industry wielding heavy influence. But a strong Republican presence in the city’s suburbs combined with conservative voters in the rural areas have given the GOP more clout.